


The Other Half

by PyroKlepto



Category: Psych
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Lassiet - Freeform, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-30 21:53:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6442333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PyroKlepto/pseuds/PyroKlepto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carlton Lassiter hasn’t celebrated Valentine’s Day in years. But now, suddenly, this year he has a reason to. He only hopes he can succeed in making it a good one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Other Half

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for my dear friend Montana, since she and I are some of the few rare people who think Lassiter and Juliet would have been perfect together. That said - this is a very fluffy Lassiter/Juliet fic. You've been warned ahead of time. It's one of the few romance stories I'm actually proud of, so I'm posting it. Feedback is always welcome!

How long had it even been since Lassiter celebrated Valentine’s Day? The only times he could remember even giving the holiday a second thought was when he had been in a relationship with Victoria.

And that… well, he didn’t like thinking about that.

This was his first Valentine’s Day with Juliet, and he was determined to make it special; especially considering they were finally in an official relationship.

Sort of, anyway; they had made it official between the two of them when Lassiter finally stopped dancing around the subject and confessed his feelings. It had been with no small amount of stammering and averting his gaze, but he had done it. 

They didn’t want anyone else to know yet - so they continued their lives in a secret relationship, waiting for the right time to let others know. If there was such a time: Lassiter didn’t relish the idea of the chief finding out. That would end badly, and he knew it. 

He and Juliet both knew it. They knew the risks, they knew the consequences; and they had both decided that as long as they kept their relationship lowkey, it would be alright. 

So here Lassiter was, trying to plan a special Valentine’s Day. And he had no damn idea what he was doing.

He had ‘called in sick’ at work; or, rather, he had contacted the chief and told her he had a headache - which was true, he had awakened that morning with one - and that he wanted to use one of the many sick days he had never taken advantage of to stay home. She had agreed.

Truth be told, he could have simply asked for a day off and she would have agreed - he hardly ever took vacation or sick leave, and she was always trying to get him to take a break. But the headache made it a more realistic claim.

Juliet had texted him with get well wishes - which he had to shake his head at, because it was just a headache; hardly reason to fuss - and gone to work as normal.

Which gave him all day to plan things out and get ready for that night. 

It wasn’t anything fancy; he had made reservations at a restaurant outside of Santa Barbara, in a town called Goleta. Afterward, he thought a walk alongside the beach might be nice. It was away from Santa Barbara and away from the eyes of anyone who might recognise them, and most importantly, he felt that it might just be romantic. At least, he hoped so.

 

Lassiter knew exactly when Juliet got off work, because - unlike him - she rarely stayed late unless she had to. He gave her an extra fifteen minutes before dialing her number. His stomach was definitely not full of butterflies.

“ _Carlton?_ ”

“Hey.” 

“ _Hey! How’s your head?_ ”

Lassiter tugged briefly at the collar of his shirt, adjusting it. “It’s fine. I was wondering if you could come over for a bit.”

Her voice immediately showed concern. “ _Of course. Is everything okay?_ ”

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” Lassiter replied. “There’s just… something I want to show you.” 

“ _Okay._ ” Her voice held many questions, but she spoke none of them. “ _Give me twenty minutes, I’ll be right there._ ”

“Okay, thanks. See you.” Lassiter waited for her to return the farewell, then hung up and made his way back to his bedroom. He had already checked his suit and hair twice, but a third time couldn’t hurt.

Looking into the mirror, even he could tell that his nerves showed on his face. _Come on, Lassiter, get a grip._

He straightened his tie, regarding himself in the mirror. He had spent at least an hour trying to decide what to wear - something he would never admit, considering that was a ridiculous amount of time to spend on choosing outfits. In the end, he had settled on a royal blue silk shirt with a grey necktie, and a black suit jacket with matching trousers.

After staring at his reflection for a few minutes more, double-checking every aspect of his appearance, Lassiter finally left the bedroom and went back to the living room to wait for Juliet. His fingers tapped anxiously against his leg, to the tune stuck in his head - "Summer Nights", from _Grease_. The rhythm helped soothe his nerves.

And then the doorbell rang.

Lassiter all but leapt off the sofa, and then froze stock-still in the middle of the room, straightening out his jacket and tie. He counted to three, and then made his way to the door and opened it to see Juliet standing there. 

She tilted her head, looking him up and down, a slightly confused grin on her face. “Well, don’t you look dashing.” 

Lassiter managed a brief smile, feeling a little bit awkward. “Yeah. I mean, um, thanks.” He stepped sideways. “Come on in.” 

“I feel a little underdressed now,” Juliet said with a laugh, walking into the house. “What is it you needed to show me?” 

She was wearing a green blouse and dark blue slacks. He didn’t think she looked underdressed; then again, he was fairly certain she would look wonderful in pretty much any outfit she put together. “You look great. But if you want, we can stop by your house and you can change into something else.”

“My house?” She spoke through a smile, sounding surprised but not unpleasantly so. “Why?” 

“Shhh.” He pressed a finger to his lips, expression serious. “It’s a surprise. Do you have anywhere to be tonight? And are you still off work tomorrow?”

Juliet looked at him with raised eyebrows. “No, I don’t, and yes, I am. What are you doing, Carlton?” 

_Something right for once, I hope._ “You’ll see. Now, do you want to stop by your house first?” 

Juliet laughed again, all grins and curious glances. She practically radiated sunshine 24/7, but it was amplified even more now. “Sure.” She approached, reaching out to adjust the collar of his silk shirt. “Let’s see if I can’t manage to look as good as you.”

Lassiter rolled his eyes, ignoring the way his face warmed when she straightened his shirt collar. “You manage that every single day of your life.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” She backed away. “All right. Let’s go then, or I might die of curiosity before we get out of the driveway.” 

“Don’t do _that_ ,” Lassiter replied, walking toward the door and opening it for her. “Not that you could. The curiosity-killed-the-cat thing is nothing but an old wives’ tale.” 

“I know that, Carlton,” Juliet pointed out, sounding amused. 

Lassiter opened the passenger side door and left it open, walking around to the other side and getting into the driver’s seat. A few minutes later, they were on their way. He handed her his phone without a word, and she navigated to the playlist the two of them had composed together once. 

It had been tradition before they had gone into a relationship, and remained a tradition even now; they had _their_ playlist, the songs they played when they were in the car together. Of course, before it had been an eclectic mix of anything at all - but since they had confessed their feelings, Juliet had added quite a few more love songs. Lassiter pretended not to notice, and pretended that hearing them didn’t give him a warm and almost fuzzy sort of sensation. 

They pulled up outside of Juliet’s place a short time later. Lassiter parked the car and followed her inside to wait downstairs while she changed.

Her living room was a familiar place; he had been over here more than once. First it was to help her move in, then it was to take her home after a case went wrong and left them both shaken. After that, he visited every so often just because he could, without any real reasons. Well, other than the fact that he felt welcome, and enjoyed her company. 

He lost track of how long he stood there waiting, though he didn’t quite mind. He took a book from the shelf and glanced at it. _The Hunt For Red October_ , by Tom Clancy. A book Lassiter himself actually liked quite a bit.

Flipping through the pages, he almost didn’t hear Juliet’s footsteps; but he did, and looked up. He promptly dropped the book on his foot, flinching in spite of the fact he wore shoes that protected him.

Juliet stood at the entrance to the room, hair now falling in a cascade of golden curls that just barely brushed her shoulders. She wore a teal dress with a ruffled skirt that came to a few inches below her knees. It had a long ribbon that wrapped around the waist, tied in a bow. A pale blue purse hung from her hand.

She laughed. “I take it that’s a good sign.” She nodded to the book he had dropped upon seeing her.

“Um… yes. Yes.” Lassiter bent down, picking up the book and sliding it back onto the shelf before looking back at her. He finally found words. “You look amazing.” 

Juliet’s grin grew a little smaller, a little shyer. “Well, thank you.” She crossed the room to stand in front of him.

“Forget ‘look as good as me’, you have me beaten by a mile,” Lassiter remarked.

She tilted her head, giving him a look. “Oh, come on.” 

Lassiter shrugged. “Hey, just telling it how it is.” Before she could argue, he offered his arm. 

She kept looking at him for a moment, her expression one of fond disbelief. Then she took his arm, and the two of them walked back out to the car and were on their way again.

“So.” Juliet leaned back in the passenger seat, looking sideways at him as they drove down the road. “When are you going to tell me where you’re taking me?”

“I’m not going to,” Lassiter replied. “You’re going to see where we’re going when we get there.”

Juliet made a humming noise, swaying back and forth with the music playing for a moment. “Okayyy… do I get a hint though?” She spoke through a grin.

He shot her a sideways glance, smirking. “No.”

“Fine.” Juliet reached out and flicked his shoulder. “I’ll be patient.” She turned the music up after that, singing along.

The next one was a song they both knew, and while it took a bit of coaxing from Juliet, eventually the both of them were singing a duet out loud.

 

Lassiter eventually parked outside the restaurant he had made reservations at, heart rate a little quicker than usual. Honestly, all of his decisions for tonight had been made going off advice Juliet had given him in the past. He knew nothing about traditional romantic gestures - that much was clear by her reaction years ago when she had been incredulous that he would take a girlfriend to a restaurant with crayons at the table and tell her about a dead clown. He just hoped tonight would go well. 

Juliet stepped out of the car before he did, looking around. “Where are we? I mean, I know where we are, this is Goleta, but…” She kept looking around with a curious gaze. 

Lassiter came around to her side of the car, nodding toward the nearest building. “Over here. C’mon.” 

“Blush Restaurant and Lounge,” Juliet remarked, looking around as they walked inside. “I’ve never been here before.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Lassiter admitted. “I know someone who lives in the area though and asked them about the different restaurants here. This one sounded really great.” 

“It looks great.” Juliet smiled. 

A waitress approached. “Good evening, welcome to Blush Restaurant and Lounge. Do you have a reservation?” 

“Yeah. Carlton Lassiter and Juliet O’Hara,” Lassiter replied. 

She turned to the computer for a moment, clicking a few times, and then nodded with a cordial smile. “Right this way.” 

The two of them were led to a table near the back of the restaurant. There were a few red roses in a vase in the centre of the table, and the lighting - instead of the usual light fixtures - consisted of many crystal orbs hanging from the ceiling, lit from within. They were seated at a table near the wall, and the waitress handed them both menus and asked what they’d like to drink; both ordered with red wine.

Juliet hadn’t said much of anything since the waitress left, and Lassiter glanced up from his menu, a spark of worry in his chest. Then he saw Juliet looking up at the crystal lights, just watching them. She could feel eyes on her and glanced over at him. “It’s all so beautiful.”

Lassiter smiled briefly. “Yeah, it is.” He had seen a few pictures online while trying to decide on a restaurant; it had seemed like a very nice establishment. Most of all, he was glad that Juliet seemed to like it.

“So you can stop worrying.”

“I’m not worrying,” Lassiter responded immediately, without really thinking. 

Juliet regarded him with fond amusement. “Yes, you are, Carlton. You can stop. This is beautiful, and it means a lot you went to the trouble to set it all up.” She reached across the table and took his hand, holding it in hers. 

Carlton Lassiter rarely worried, unless it was about something important - and this was very important. But he brought his gaze up to meet hers, and knew she was telling the truth. 

He was still nervous. But at least not as badly, now. 

Their wine arrived, and they ordered their meals. Juliet started talking about her day; it had been slow, without many calls coming in, but apparently a little boy had called saying that his mother told him to call 911 if he needed help. As it turns out the ‘help’ he needed was someone to aid him in getting his cat down from the roof. Since it was a slow day, the chief had allowed Buzz McNab and Juliet to go help the boy with his pet. 

The rest of dinner went well; they spent most of it discussing anything that caught their attention, and Lassiter felt more at ease than he had on any of his other dates in the last few years. He suspected it had to do with the company. 

After dinner, Lassiter pushed his chair away from the table. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

“Gonna leave me with the check and make a quick getaway?” Juliet teased.

Lassiter raised an eyebrow and looked at her for a moment with as unamused an expression as he could muster. She gave him a mischievous grin and he shook his head, turning around and exiting the restaurant. 

He made his way to the car, getting inside and reaching under the backseat. He withdrew a small green bag and looked inside, making sure everything was there. It was.

Hanging the bag on his wrist, Lassiter shut and locked the door and returned to the restaurant. Juliet still sat at the table, swaying along with some music that played from a speaker hidden somewhere. 

Lassiter dragged his chair over to her side of the table and handed her the bag. She looked at him curiously, the corners of her eyes crinkling like they did when she was happy, and then she reached into the bag and withdrew a light brown teddy bear with a red ribbon around its neck. Juliet laughed, holding the soft plush toy to her cheek for a moment. “Oh my gosh. It’s adorable.”

“I, uh, wasn’t sure what to get you. I’m not exactly someone who does this sort of thing too often,” Lassiter admitted, reaching into his pocket. “I had a couple ideas though. I got you something else.” He handed her a small faux velvet case. 

Her eyes flickered from the box to Lassiter fairly quickly, and then back down again as she opened it, revealing an Irish claddagh pendant. She didn’t seem to have words, but the way she hid her grin behind her hand as she carefully took the pendant from the case said volumes. 

“You know the symbolism behind it?” Juliet asked, glancing up at him again.

“Of course. I’ve got Irish in me too, remember?” Lassiter retorted, though not unkindly. “The hands stand for friendship, the crown represents loyalty–”

“And the heart represents love.” Juliet completed his sentence and smiled. “Thank you, Carlton. It’s beautiful.” 

Lassiter nodded, unsure of how to respond, and then held out his hand, silently asking for the pendant. She handed it back to him, and he unclasped it before moving closer and gingerly brushing Juliet’s hair off to one side. Focusing on keeping his hands steady, Lassiter carefully clasped the pendant around her neck. Her hair smelled like peaches, just like always - a scent that had come to be both familiar and comforting.

He sat back once he had fastened the necklace, holding up a finger as a way of telling Juliet not to move. He slipped his cell phone from his pocket and snapped a picture. 

Juliet ducked her head, holding up a hand to obscure her face. “Carlton!” 

“Well, I don’t have a mirror,” Lassiter replied, giving her his phone. “I figured this is an easier way to see how it looks than walking to the restrooms.”

“I have a compact mirror in my purse, Carlton,” Juliet pointed out, amused. But she took his phone and looked at the picture, absentmindedly reaching up to touch the pendant. “It’s gorgeous.” 

“Looks better on you than it did in the box,” Lassiter remarked. He let her keep his phone for a few moments longer, just in case she wanted to delete the picture. But she handed it back to him without doing so. 

“Well, thank you.” She was more or less beaming. “Oh!” She opened her purse, rummaging around for a minute. “Here.”

He took the case she handed him, opening it to find a wristwatch with a silver band and a dark blue face. His eyebrows arched, and he slipped the timepiece onto his wrist, adjusting it until it fit just right. “Thank you. It looks great.” It really did; much better than his last watch.

“I figured since yours broke during that fight with the kidnapper a few weeks ago, you could use a new one,” Juliet said. 

“You figured right.” Lassiter paused, trying to figure out what action to take next. Eventually, he settled on leaning over and giving her a hug, being careful not to muss her hair. She returned the hug, rubbing his back between his shoulder blades.

When they broke apart, they realised their waiter was standing a respectful distance away, watching with a smile on his face. Lassiter cleared his throat, moving his chair back to the other side of the table and shooting the man what he hoped was a stern glance.

The waiter approached. “Is there anything else I can get for you?” He looked between Juliet and Lassiter.

Lassiter glanced at Juliet, silently asking if she wanted anything else. She shook her head, and Lassiter looked up at the waiter. “No, thanks. I’m ready to pay now.” 

He was given the receipt and proceeded to go through the motions of paying for that night’s meal. Before long, he and Juliet were leaving the restaurant. 

The night outside was cool, but not unpleasantly so; a subtle breeze whispered through the air, and the faint sound of the ocean’s waves could be heard in the distance. 

Lassiter waited until Juliet had tucked the teddybear and bag into the car before speaking up. “Hold on a second.”

“Hmm?” 

“It’s a nice night,” Lassiter started. “I thought maybe, if you wanted, we could… I don’t know. Take a walk down the beach. It’s probably not crowded right now either like it is during the day.”

“Well, aren’t you romantic,” Juliet said teasingly. She shut the passenger side door. “That sounds lovely.”

The two of them walked down the street in the direction of the beach, a comfortable silence falling upon them. After a few minutes, Lassiter reached out without looking at Juliet and caught her hand in his. He could feel her gaze turn towards him, but didn’t meet it. Then she intertwined her fingers with his and swung their hands back and forth for a moment, and he smiled.

 

Wandering hand-in-hand along the beach, with nothing but the waves of the ocean and the moonlit sand surrounding them, was one of the most peaceful moments Lassiter had experienced in a long time.

He really wasn’t in any hurry to go home. Fortunately, neither, it seemed, was Juliet. 

They stopped to rest, standing just beside the water’s edge - close enough for the tide to dash against their shoes. For quite some time, they simply stood there hand-in-hand, watching the ocean or looking up at the starry sky.

 

“Thank you for tonight, Carlton.” Juliet leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. 

“You’re welcome. And thanks to you too.” That was a correct response to someone thanking you, right?

She stepped away, still holding his hand but turning so that she was facing him. He could see a smile on her face, just visible in the moonlight. “Happy Valentine’s Day.” 

Not long ago, Lassiter would have scoffed at being wished a happy Valentine’s Day. Not long ago, he would have made some cynical, sarcastic remark. 

But that was before… before this. Before Juliet. Before he realised how much he actually cared, try as he might to avoid caring at all.

So he briefly, almost awkwardly, returned the smile, taking her other hand so he held one of hers in each of his. “Happy Valentine’s Day to you too, partner.” 

There was a beat of silence, with only the hushed song of the waves to interrupt it. Then Lassiter slowly closed the distance between them and pressed a gentle kiss to Juliet’s lips. She returned it without hesitation.

Maybe love wasn’t as stupid or pointless as Lassiter had taken to thinking it was.

Maybe you just needed to find the other half of your heart first.


End file.
